we're two birds in the same cage (and one of us has a secret)
by svvanmillsarchive
Summary: "I think I could fall in love with you." Swan Queen Week Day 3: Arranged Marriage. It's highly advised to read the A/N before reading.


**Okay, so in the summary I said you'd need to read the author's note before this. I wanted it to become a plot twist, but for fear of people not understanding until the very end, I decided to clear it up.**

**In this oneshot, **_**Emma will be a transboy**_**. He'll go by Oliver. There's a huge and nervous wreck eating at my gut right now that people are going to get upset and accuse me of trying to make Emma and Regina straight, or whatever. But I'm **_**not. **_**Why the heck would I ship Swan Queen in the first place if I just wanted it to be hetero? Emma/Oliver is still queer. Regina can be queer, too. Everyone can be queer. Nobody is stopping this story from being comprised of only queer people. It doesn't matter. Trans headcanons are just important as sexuality headcanons and I wanted to incorporate some into my stories. Because if you think I haven't thought of all of my favorite characters at trans at one point, you'd be sadly mistaken.**

**If you got through all of that and are ready to read this, I hope you enjoy! If you decided to not read the author's note, congrats, you're going to be super confused. I'd suggest scrolling back up a little.**

**Disclaimer: Yo no poseo Once Upon A Time.**

* * *

Regina felt like throwing up, her stomach was so jolted up. They had been in the carriage for three days straight now, only stopping every once in a while for a bathroom break or to sleep, and she was sure that every limb in her body was stiff and sore. Each bump and hole in the uneven trail the wheels rolled over felt like a pounding to her thighs. She wish she could fall asleep, but she ached too much to, and her mother would never accept an action so unladylike. Her mother was sitting as if her back had a rod attached to it, and she looked straight ahead.

How did her mother do it? Regina wouldn't have been able to sit with a posture for such a long period of time, especially if she wasn't even in public. Maybe the answer to her mother's secrets was magic related.

"Regina, darling," her mother spoke, and Regina looked to her mother. "I can see the castle for Queen Snow and Prince James now. We'll be there in approximately twenty minutes. Make sure you're on your best behavior."

"Yes mother," said Regina, bowing her head in respect, and then deciding to look out the window. The sky was a pretty blue, and fluffy cotton clouds roamed across it. The sun was bright, and the scene was so cheerful she didn't know if she could actually hear a few birds chirping outside or if it was just her imagination. Maybe it was the rickety carriage. Maybe she was going delusional from lack of sleep and a stable ground for more than five minutes. Who knows?

Soon enough, the woodlands changed to rock and cobblestone, and the ride became significantly smoother. Regina sighed internally in relief, but also fear. Sure, the ride didn't make her as sore as it did before, but the reason why she was here in the first place was much, much worse than a sore behind.

She was getting married to a man she had never met.

* * *

Oliver ran a hand over his bindings. It was still weird, feeling them after he had been using them for what seems like forever, but the palace doctor had told him that she couldn't magically change his body permanently, as it could potentially harm him in the future. She did, though, give him weekly potions that he drank that seemed to keep his voice, face, and general body shape at least _decently _passing. His curves had lessened. His face looked like it had a little bit of stubble on a good day. His voice wasn't baritone like his father's, but it was significantly lower than Henry's, his 12 year old brother, so it was better than nothing.

The breasts had to sadly stay, though. They hadn't been that big to begin with, but Oliver still hated them. Though with the bindings, when he put his shirt and coat on, you could barely tell he had been born a woman. It was a comforting thought.

"Oliveeeeeer," said a whiny voice. Oliver turned around to see Henry.

"Can I meet the princess with you?" his brother asked, bouncing around excitedly.

"Well, we'll be having a luncheon together, since they're probably hungry from their long carriage ride, so you can meet her then," Oliver answered, straightening the collar on his shirt.

"But after that!" Henry said.

"Henry…" warned Oliver. Henry pouted and stomped away, and Oliver rolled his eyes playfully. Henry was always like this and Oliver had grown used to it by now. Looking in the mirror and smiling shyly, he felt ready. Well, as ready as someone could be when they were having an arranged marriage.

His parents had to be extremely picky in choosing a bride for him, considering most countries near The Enchanted Forest knew about Oliver's condition and wouldn't have given up their daughters for him. They had found a princess from an isolated island from the East. Oliver never really like the idea of marrying someone he barely knew, but he understood his parents had no other choice. He was by far old enough now, and while his parents were lucky enough to have a marriage as well as mutual love for each other, not many people did.

_Well, _Oliver thought, _their loss. I'm fantastic._

He strutted out the door, sweeping down the stairs of the castle and going through the cluster of palace hallways he knew like the back of his hand. He ended up in the courtroom, where his father stood, talking with one of the elite guards.

"Hey, Dad," Oliver greeted, gathering his father's attention.

"Oliver!" His dad smiled. He gave Oliver one of his signature bear hugs. "How's my little squirt doing?"

"It's hardly accurate to call me a little squirt," laughed Oliver, "considering I'm 20 now. _And _I'm about to get married."

His father ruffled his unruly blonde hair, looking at him with nostalgia in his eyes. "You'll always be my little squirt to me. And don't forget it."

A squire burst through the doors of the room, shouting, "King James, sir! The princess is here!"

James nodded, looking to the palace guard he had been chatting with previously. "Get Snow," he ordered, and the guard nodded, bowed, and walked away. Then, he looked to Oliver. "You, go to the meeting hall. I'll get Henry."

Oliver nodded. His marriage hadn't seem that emotionally of a burden to him before, but now his nerves felt wired. Anxiety seeped through him like a sponge did with water. He made his way towards the meeting hall, and he wiped his slightly sweaty palms onto his pants. As he entered, he already saw a group of three strangers talking to his parents, and his brother, who was excitedly bouncing around a woman his own age.

"You're a princess! That's so cool! How's your country? Is it nice? Do you get to swim a lot because you're on an island? Are there manatees? I'm learning, about manatees from my tutor, you know…"

"Henry!" Oliver called out, and every head turned to him. He sheepishly smiled. "Oh, hey."

"Honey, come meet Princess Regina." Snow motioned Oliver over and dusted imaginary dust from his shoulder. "She's so incredibly nice. I bet you two will get along wonderfully."

Oliver looked at the woman beside his mother and brother. She had long, black hair, and beautiful brown eyes that seemed to hide a sadness only people who have experienced it can find, along with anger and a small bit of hatred. She was looking at _him _like that, and he hadn't even said anything to her. Even with her glaring at him, Oliver found her stunning.

She was almost like an exotic bird trapped in a dingy cage, he realized. She didn't want to be here. And now she was going to hate him for the rest of their lives because of it.

Oliver swallowed hard.

* * *

Royal weddings were usually extravagant, and this one was no different. Their wedding was arranged to happen in a month, with a huge banquet afterwards, and, obviously, a consummation. One month to know his future wife. They were sitting outside, per the princess's request, and Oliver had been awkwardly fidgeting his his spot for the last five minutes. He had never been good for conversation starters.

"Stop bouncing your leg up and down," spoked the princess, finally. Her voice was husky, and harsh. "It's irritating me."

"Sorry," Oliver said, stopping his movement, and blushed. "I just… don't know where to start."

"Obviously." The princess rolled her eyes. They were a pretty brown, and they glistened in the sunset light. Given, they also glistened with an annoyance at him, but they still looked amazing.

"Why don't we start with names?" Oliver laughed breathily and nervously, trying to sound nonchalant and failing terribly. "I'm Oliver... but you already knew that, didn't you? Agh. I'm sorry."

"I'm Regina. But you knew that, also," the princess tersely replied.

"Yeah, this was a bad idea," Oliver sighed. "I'm sorry."

Regina didn't give another answer, she just huffed.

Two weeks later, Oliver still hadn't gotten any closer to Regina. It was frustrating. He knew she wanted this marriage as much as he did (which was not at all), but she was acting like a child. He decided to bring it up. He knocked on the door of Regina's temporary chambers.

"No," a voice called out.

Oliver sighed. "Please?" He knocked again.

"I don't want you coming in," it said back.

"You know, I don't want this marriage as much as you do," Oliver said. "I mean, no offense or anything. You're not ugly or something. But this is a political marriage. I don't expect you to love me. But stop treating me like I'm a disease. We're going to have the spend the rest of our lives together, and I'd rather it be not with us hating each other."

The door opened for Regina to glare at him in person, it seemed. She grabbed him sharply by the arm and pulled him in, shifting the door after he was officially in her room.

"What do you want with me?" she said angrily.

"We're getting married," was Oliver's answer. "As much as you seem to hate me, we'll be spending the rest of our lives together whether you like it or not. You might as well start getting used to me."

"I don't... _hate _you," Regina corrected.

"Then why do you act like it?" Oliver looked at Regina, hurt. Regina cursed herself for feeling sympathy somewhere in those puppy eyes.

"I don't try to." Regina shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe your bothersome personality brings it out of me."

"See?" said Oliver. "You just did it there!"

"Oops," Regina apologized, sarcasm dripping from her tone of voice.

"Maybe you should pay more attention to what you're doing," said Oliver. "I want to like you. We can be friends. It's not hard."

"Yes it is!" said Regina.

Oliver peered at her, confused. "How?"

Tears came into Regina's vision. "I don't want to be married to someone I don't love!"

"Who do you think does?" Oliver shouted. "You're gonna have to get used to it, though!"

"Why wouldn't you marry someone from your own damn kingdom? Or to a neighboring one? Why mine?" Regina's voice went from yelling at the beginning to a whisper. "Why did you choose _my _kingdom?"

Oliver's eyes widened as fear rushed through him. Oh god. It has been two whole weeks without him realizing she was going to find out. Of course she was. She was going to find out he wasn't born who she thought he was and she was going to despise him even more than she did now. That didn't stop him from lying, though.

"I don't know." Oliver's voice cracked. It was an obvious lie, and Regina felt the burn of her tears and her anger combined. Oliver continued. "I have to go."

He rushed out the door, leaving behind a confused and angry princess before she could process what had just happened.

* * *

This was it. Today was the day. Both Oliver and Regina were dressed in traditional clothing from their kingdom, and were seated at the head of the table in the dining area. The marriage had already happened; it had been easy and simple. Their hands had been tied together by a ribbon, they said some promises, and that had been that. But Regina, as she sat and picked at her food, felt like she had just gotten a prison sentence for life. She could tell Oliver felt the same. They both watched, a small emptiness filling the both of them, as people conversed and laughed, not even noticed how their hosts were feeling about all of this.

They hadn't really spoken much since their spat a few weeks ago, but Oliver had learned Regina loved to horseback (she had asked where the stables were, so obviously Oliver wanted to pry into her personal life). Oliver felt disappointed that Regina didn't even like him as a companion, at least. He knew she didn't want to marry him, but why want the burden of hating someone you're going to have to spend the rest of your life with? Oliver personally liked Regina; she was snarky and beautiful and intelligent and Henry loved her, _he _loved her—

Oliver felt a stone set in his belly. _Did _he love her? He barely knew her! But at the same time, his parents had barely known each other then they fell in love, and their love was the purest and most magical of them all. True Love. He should know. He and his brother were the product of it.

Maybe Oliver didn't love Regina now, but he knew he was falling. And he didn't exactly feel like stopping.

Regina snapped him from his daydream. "When is the dinner over?" she had asked. Oliver hadn't heard her, though.

She smacked him on the shoulder lightly to grab his attention, adding a quick "Oliver!". Oliver must have been thinking deeply about something, Regina thought, because he got extremely startled, fumbling with the drink in his hand and spilling it all over his shirt.

"Oh god," he sighed.

"I'm so sorry!" said Regina, grabbing one of the napkin cloths from the table and dabbing at his shirt. Luckily, it wasn't near the chest area, but Oliver worried nonetheless as his toes curled into the soles of his shoes.

"At least it's a dark brown, right?" Oliver tried joking, but Regina didn't laugh.

"Shut up," said Regina. "Come with me, let's go get you cleaned up."

Regina and Oliver were halfway to his chambers before Oliver realized Regina probably expected him to undress in front of her. Which then she'd know. She'd _know_. He stopped in his steps, sweat collecting on his brow and he started to breathe in and out, in and out, heavily.

"Oliver?" Regina questioned him. "Are you alright?"

Oliver remembered she was right beside him. He couldn't show her how worried and paranoid he was. "Yeah…" He gave her a crooked, but fake, smile. "I'm fine."

Regina doubted his answer, but they continued, Regina's hand gently clasping around Oliver's wrist. She had memorized most of the castle pretty quickly, and didn't need directions to get to where she wanted most of them time. Her hand was really soft and smooth, Oliver realized, but he kicked that thought out of his brain before it could get any deeper.

They got to Oliver's bedroom, and Regina sat him down on his bed.

"Want me to pick out some pants for you?"

"Sure." Oliver's answer was a hoarse whisper.

Regina did as so, and tossed him a shirt almost identical to the ones he was wearing, except it was a lighter tan color. It dropped onto the bed beside him. Regina looked at him expectantly. Oliver looked at her expectantly back.

"Didn't think you wanted to see me undressed," he quipped, hoping to cover his nervous demeanor.

"Yeah, right," said Regina, crossing her arms.

"I…" Oliver looked down, flustered. "I don't really like changing in front of people."

"Seriously?" Regina almost laughed. "Don't most men love to show off their abs and chest in front of women?"

The true fear in Oliver's green eyes as he glanced up at Regina made her feel guilty for joking about the matter.

"Would you like me to turn around?" Regina asked softly.

The fear Oliver showed didn't completely disappear, but part of it may or may not have been replaced with utter relief.

"Thank you," he whispered. Regina turned around, and he quickly undid the laces at the top of his collarbone and got to work.

He silently checked his bindings, having to be a little slower so Regina didn't hear or suspect anything, and thanked the deities that they weren't stained. He wouldn't know what he would've done if they had been. He knows Regina will find out sooner or later, but… better later than sooner, right? Evading the inevitable was an ignorant thing to do, but Oliver enjoyed being comfortable and safe in the present than having to worry about the future. He already worried about the present, and he didn't exactly feel like worrying about anything else. He grabbed the other shirt, about to change into it when—

"Are you _done _yet?" Regina asked impatiently, spinning around to see Oliver. Oliver screamed and covered up his chest.

"I told you to turn around, Regina!" Oliver yelled.

"You were taking a long time!" Regina yelled back. "... Why are you covering yourself?"

Oliver's face turned red, from embarrassment, from anger at himself, from shame. Tears pricked from his eyes and a few escaped and made their way down his cheeks.

"Oliver? Are you okay?" Regina held her hand out in his direction, barely, and took a small step when Oliver looked at her with the meanest look he had ever given her, something Regina didn't even know he was capable of.

"Leave me alone," he spat.

"No," Regina said, standing her ground. "Why do you have bindings on your chest?" She thought for a moment. "Are you injured or something? It's not that big of a deal—"

"I'm not injured," Oliver said.

Regina scrunched her eyebrows. "Then… why do you have them?"

Oliver sighed, his breath shaky as he did so. "I knew this was going to happen." He moved away from the bed and motioned his head. "Sit."

Regina sat.

"Please… don't hate me," Oliver said.

"Why would I hate you?"

"Because…" Oliver started tearing up again. "Because of what I'm about to tell you."

"I doubt I could hate you like you're implying, Oliver," Regina sighed, rolling her eyes.

Oliver shook his head. "Just… don't overreact, okay? Be calm."

"I'll be calm, just say what you're going to say!"

Oliver threw the shirt down on the bed. "See my bindings?"

"Duh?" Regina raised an eyebrow.

Oliver closed his eyes. Breathe in. Breathe out. It's going to be okay.

_But she suspects nothing._

So?, Oliver thought. No one ever suspects anything. Not many people even know what it is.

_But what if she hates you when she realizes she just married someone who was born a girl?_

Oliver shook the dangerous thoughts out of his head. He lifted his arms up and around his back and slowly started undoing the bindings. He let them drop, his bare chest showing to Regina.

"I wasn't born Oliver," he said, looking anywhere but at his new wife on the bed. "I was born Emma."

Silence followed. Oliver still wouldn't look at Regina, and his body started shaking, but he continued, starting to spill his feelings out as the dam in his soul finally broke open. "I was born a girl. My parents were so happy… my mother, especially. She showered me in stereotypically girly things. Dresses, dolls, anything. But she also let me play with other stuff, and while she was disappointed that I'd rather play outside and get muddy than have teatime, she understood better than anyone what that felt like.

I was really talented at sword fighting. I still am. My dad was so proud. Everyone just assumed I was a tomboy; including myself. But… it felt weird. My mother is sort of a tomboy, too, but I had different thoughts than she did. I once told her I didn't feel like a girl sometimes and she gave me such a weird look I shrugged, denied anything the day after, and never brought up the conversation again. But I still felt like a boy. But I didn't think anything of it. I dreamt that I had been born a boy, and life just felt _right _in those dreams. Like the final puzzle piece was put into place. I just wanted to feel normal, to know that my feelings weren't something that was wrong with me.

I didn't know what transgender was until a foreign embassy came to visit for a few weeks. He stayed in a room close to mine, and I always loved learning about other countries, so I obviously followed him around and asked him a billion questions. That's when I learned about gender. There's this whole spectrum, and it has nothing to do with your biological sex. There's boy, girl, both, neither, everything in between… I felt happy. I was so excited. I had finally realized who I was and it was possibly the greatest feeling I had ever experienced. I was 15. Henry was only 5 at the time, so I told my parents first." Oliver raised his arms to his chest and bowed his head even further, the bindings still wrapped around his hands.

"They were really confused at first. A little angry, even. But… they told me, that if this is who I was, they'd do anything to try and help me, even though that had no knowledge on the subject. We all researched together, finding other transgender people in history, and some of them were really important! We found a witch doctor that could make potions for me, to help me with the feelings about my body. I can't completely change who I am, though, because not very many people take shape shifting potions for such a long time, and, since I'm not even a magic user, they were scared I'd get long lasting effects that were really bad. It helps a little bit. I even got a few inches taller. But obviously I still have to, like, bind and stuff. And my genitals won't change, so I could never have children unless I decided to bear them myself, but I don't think I would ever want to do that."

Oliver looked at his shoes, shirtless, afraid, and distressed. He finished with a whispered, "That's about it."

It was silent for what seemed liked hours for Oliver. Maybe she had left in the middle of his speech? Maybe she was so disgusted she couldn't think of anything to say? So many terrible thoughts swarmed in his head he didn't even realize Regina had gotten up until her arms were around him, engulfing him in a hug, and her head was pressed against his shoulder. He looked down at her, (He hadn't been lying when he said he had gotten taller. He had been pretty tall for a girl before he took the potions, and he was almost 5'11 several months after he had started taking him.), surprise lighting his eyes.

"R-Regina?" he stuttered.

Regina looked up at him, a feeling he couldn't name in her eyes. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"You don't need to be," Oliver said. "It's not like you made me be born in this body or anything."

"No, I mean…" Regina cautiously took her fingers and brushed them against Oliver's jawline. "I treated you so horribly? And you did nothing to stop it?"

"I didn't treat you amazingly, either," chuckled Oliver.

"I think I could fall in love with you," Regina whispered, and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Recognizing what she had just done, her cheeks began to blush a deep pink, and she slowly back away, scurrying out of the room, her hands threading through her silky, black hair.

Oliver stood there, gaping. Regina had _kissed him. _Even after _she knew. _If Oliver had started to fall for Regina, he knew he had just been dropped from the tallest tree in the forest and he was hitting every love branch on the way.

* * *

This was the most awkward consummation Oliver had ever experienced.

Of course, it's the only one he's ever experienced, but it's a figure of expression.

"What are we supposed to do?" Regina wondered, more to herself than her new husband, and dangled her feet off the bed and brushed her toes to the stone floor, bored.

"If it make you feel better," said Oliver, "if I had a dick, I still wouldn't expect you know what to happen between us."

"Yeah, thanks," Regina whispered.

"So…" Oliver said. "Back there, a few hours ago… What you mean by you said you could fall in love with me?"

Regina whipped her head back and glared at Oliver. "What do you think it means? Want me to take it back?"

"No!" Oliver threw up his hands in defense. "I was just going to say… maybe I feel the same way."

"You could fall in love with me?" Regina asked, her voice soft as if she was going to cry.

"Maybe," Oliver smiled. "You're not _terrible_."

Regina crawled from the edge of the bed to smack Oliver on the arm. "Hey!"

Oliver shrugged, and he laughed. "So, you just wanna sleep?"

"That sounds nice," Regina admitted. "It's certainly been a full day."

"That I can agree with." Oliver got under the covers. Regina went to the other side of the bed when Oliver said, "Nu-uh!"

Regina looked back at him, her eyebrows raised in question. "What?"

"We're _married _now. Unless you're really uncomfortable with the idea with it… let's sleep… closer to each other… maybe…?"

Regina snorted. "You and your way with words. It wooes me."

"So will you?" Oliver smirked at her.

"Sure," said Regina, and she slipped under the covers next to him.

"Good night."

"Night."

* * *

**Reviews are my motivators. (It's like the saying "haters are my motivators", but I revised it to fit into the situation. It's classic humor.)**


End file.
